Feathery grain: Panels under each Gothic window at the Schoolcraft Mansion have a delicate etching.

In dealing with the Schoolhouse Mansion restoration, this historian has learned many new things about that subject and new words concerning it.

"Plinth" is this week's new word. Webster's dictionary calls it "the slab at the base of a column or pedestal."

I call it a six- or eight-sided beautifully carved piece of wood that terminates window or door moldings at their base, enhancing the structure. Pictures accompanying this article will attest to that.

Mark Huggins, a Guilderland town employee who has been "enhancing" the Schoolcraft House for some time, has been instrumental in designing the Gothic-style interior woodwork. He has carved about 18 plinths that adorn the windows and door moldings in the two front rooms of the house.

They are beautiful and show the house in its rightful aspect of time. Baseboards are also being installed with a Gothic-era flair, adding to the grandeur of the house.

This work is time-consuming, producing outstanding features that will bring the restoration work to a fine conclusion.

Do visit the Schoolcraft Art Fair on Saturday, June 6, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and check out the finishing plinths.

There will be artwork to view and purchase if you like, chamber music by guitarist Marcello Iaia and flutist Caitlin Ippolito to appreciate, and a cool beverage and sweets to enjoy. See you there!

Plinths in place at the bottom of Gothic doorway moldings are among the finishing touches at the Schoolcraft Mansion. — Photo by Mark Huggins.